Mosul Endgame?
So . . . the Iraqi forces (might as well say the ‘Golden Division’) will soon capture Mosul – Iraq’s second largest city now controlled by ISIS. So what happens after the capture? We know that the Iraqi forces (spearheaded […]
Month: August 2016
Afghanistan’s National Unity Government (NUG)
The National Unity Government (NUG) of Afghanistan is the outcome of the miss-managed and corrupt Afghan presidential elections held in 2014. A negotiated settlement between the two major contenders resulted in Ashraf Ghani becoming President and Abdullah Abdullah becoming Chief […]
SOF News Update for 20160810
SOF News Update Topics: We like football, they like soccer; airborne & SOF books, CIA’s ‘Elephant Counter’, Paratrooper Leapfest competition, endgame in Libya, SAS in Syria, DoD IG report on JIDA, TV documentary on India’s paratroopers, CENTCOM ‘cooked the books’ […]
Helmand Province Under Siege
Problems in Helmand. The Afghan government forces have their hands full in Helmand province. It appears that most of the province has been lost to the Taliban and the provincial capital – Lashkar Gar – is now threatened. Despite glowing […]
SOF in Libya – Providing Direct Support
Recent news reports from major news outlets (New York Times, Washington Post, and others) are reporting that U.S. SOF in Libya is providing direct support to Libyan militia groups fighting the Islamic State. The area of the fighting is in the […]
Russian Hybrid Warfare
Hybrid Warfare is a term closely aligned with other terms that attempt to describe the area of conflict between peace and full spectrum warfare. The other terms that are similar include Unconventional Warfare, Political Warfare, Irregular Warfare, Gray Zone, and […]
SOF News Update for 20160809
SOF News Update: RAND report on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Marine Combatant Divers, book review, importance of language & cultural training in military, interview with cdr of NSW, and obesity in the military services. Marine Combatant Diver School. The Marines […]
NATO SOF: CT Capability Needed?
Does the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Special Operations Forces (SOF) need a Counterterrorism (CT) capability? Currently the three mission sets for NATO SOF are Direct Action (DA), Special Reconnaissance (SR), and Military Assistance (MA). For many years NATO SOF has […]
SOF News Update – 20160808
Islamic State Showcase Captured ID Card & Equipment. It appears that (somehow) the Islamic State have managed to come into the possession of some U.S. combat equipment (rucksack, bullets, radio, etc.) and two I.D. cards belonging to a U.S. Army SP4. […]
SOF News Update – 20160807
Top Ten Special Forces Groups in World. The SpecOps website has rated the “Top 10 Most Dangerous Special Forces Around the World”. In the mix are the Irish Army Ranger Wing, SAS, Delta, MJK, and six others. View the list […]
SF Handbook Labels Marines as ‘Elitists’
A handbook on advising published for the Special Forces Command in October 2001 by Research Planning, Inc. has a section on service culture (Army, Navy, Marines, etc.). The handbook, Special Forces Advisor’s Reference Book, is designed to help Special Forces (Green Berets) […]
SOF News Update for 20160806
101st Deploying. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) (Strike) of 101st Airborne Division is heading out on a deployment to Iraq. The Army has announced that 400 Solders from the 101st Airborne Division will deploy to Iraq this summer in support […]
‘Range 15’ Star accepts Gold Star Wife Invitation to Unit Ball
A Gold Star wife seeking a date to an Army ball hosted by her late husband’s unit will be going with the star of ‘Range 15’. The star, Mat Best, is the president of Article 15 Clothing and one of […]
CTC Sentinel by Combating Terrorism Center July 2016
The Combating Terrorism Center of West Point (the Army’s military academy) has published the July 2016 issue of CTC Sentinel. The cover story of this issue is on the destructive way that al-Qaida and the Islamic State are fighting each other. It […]
Military Force Structure: A Primer by CBO
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) of the United States Congress has produced a 146-page publication on entitled The U.S. Military’s Force Structure: A Primer dated July 2016. The size and complexity of the U.S military can make it difficult to determine how […]